As the political Opposition and its media allies are sharpening attacks on the Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over SIR, based on half-truths and conspiracy theories, former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson has also jumped on the bandwagon. On 26th September, still Kerala’s Chief Secretary, Jiji Thomson claimed that in 2016, then IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar asked him to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta, very persuasively.
During an interaction with a local media outlet, Jiji Thomson claimed that he met Gyanesh Kumar on a flight to Delhi in 2016. Thomson said that Kumar heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him if he was interested in contesting the election on a BJP ticket from Pathanamthitta in the 2019 general elections.
Jiji Thomson claimed that Gyanesh Kumar was quite persuasive and that he said that if Thomson wins the election, he could become an MP and also a Cabinet Minister. Thomson claimed that he promptly declined the alleged offer.
“I was serving as the Kerala Chief Secretary then. We were together on a flight. He was waxing eloquent about Prime Minister Modi and openly asked me if I was interested in contesting as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta in the 2019 general elections. He was very persuasive; I declined it promptly,” Manorama quoted Thomson as saying.
The timing of Jiji Thomson’s allegation against Gyanesh Kumar indicates an apparent bid to provide the Opposition parties with more ammo to cast aspersions on Gyanesh Kumar’s integrity as a public servant and portray him as an unofficial member of the BJP.
The objective appears to be lending ‘insider’ credence to the Opposition’s allegations that CEC Gyanesh Kumar has been using his Constitutional authority to ‘deliver’ election victories to the Bharatiya Janata Party by ‘manipulating’ electoral rolls through SIR.
Congress uses claims by Jiji Thomson to declare CEC Gyanesh Kumar a ‘BJP agent’
Unsurprisingly, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi quickly used Thomson’s claims to attack CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Gandhi claimed that Gyanesh Kumar was first used to recruit for the BJP and later the BJP made him “the umpire” for “match-fixing” elections.
In an X post published on 26th September, Gandhi wrote, “First, Gyanesh Kumar – then a serving IAS officer – was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India’s elections.”
Congress leader and Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan outrightly declared Gyanesh Kumar a “BJP agent” and pressed the demand for his resignation as the CEC.
“The revelations made by former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are extremely serious. No further evidence is required to prove that Gyanesh Kumar acted as an agent of the BJP. It is now evident that he served as an operative who subverted democracy on behalf of the BJP. History will record Gyanesh Kumar, who traded away the Election Commission’s credibility to the BJP, as the person who pronounced a death sentence on Indian democracy… Having undermined democracy while occupying one of the highest constitutional offices in the country, Gyanesh Kumar should not remain in office for even a single moment,” he wrote.
Similarly, TMC MP Mahua Moitra launched an unhinged attack against Gyanesh Kumar. “Former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson says Gyanesh Kumar approached him in 2016 to contest as MLA on BJP ticket with ministerial post on offer. Chor Dalal Gyanesh been BJP’s agent for a while clearly,” she wrote.
Former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson says Gyanesh Kumar approached him in 2016 to contest as MLA on BJP ticket with ministerial post on offer.
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) September 26, 2026
Chor Dalal Gyanesh been BJP’s agent for a while clearly.
While Jiji Thomson’s sensational claim has gained expected political traction, an obvious question remains unanswered: Why didn’t Jiji Thomson make this revelation at that time, or when Gyanesh Kumar took over as CEC? Did he perfectly time the supposed revelation for maximum political mileage?
As Jiji Thomson is in the spotlight and emerged as the new ‘hero’ of the anti-BJP cabal, it is important to know about him beyond the known credentials of a civil servant.
Who is Jiji Thomson, the man of many controversies
Jiji Thomson is a 1980-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, holding degrees in Economics. Thomson served as Keralam Chief Secretary from January 2015 to 29 February 2016 under the Congress-led UDF government. Before this posting, Thomson served as the Managing Director of the Kerala Civil Supplies Corporation. Post-retirement, Jiji Thomson serves as the Managing Director of Bharat Bhaavika Foundation. Thomson belongs to the Malankara Orthodox Church.
Throughout his career, Jiji Thomson has seen many highs and lows, and courted several controversies. The first major controversy Thomson was embroiled in goes back to the 1991 Palmolein imports graft case.
Palmolein imports graft case
Jiji Thomson served as MD of the Civil Supplies Corporation during the K. Karunakaran UDF government, when he was named as an accused in alleged irregularities in 15000 tons of palmolein imports from Malaysia via a Singapore-based company at an inflated price that caused around Rs 2.32 crores.
Thomson contended that it was a cabinet decision he merely implemented. The scam occurred when Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was the Finance Minister in the government headed by late K Karunakaran.
The matter remains pending before the Supreme Court, and Jiji Thomson’s half pension was withheld pending resolution.
In May 2016, the Supreme Court rejected the petitions filed by Jiji Thomson, PJ Thomas and TH Mustafa, who sought dismissal of the Palmolein imports graft case. Before this, Jiji Thomson’s plea seeking to stop all further proceedings in the case against him until the Supreme Court disposes of the Special Leave Petition (SLP) was rejected by the Kerala High Court. His other similar pleas faced rejection from both lower and higher courts.
‘Spread the Gospel’: Jiji Thomson advocated propagation of Christianity through evangelism while holding Constitutional office
Back in 2015, then Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson, while serving as Chief Secretary, delivered a speech at the bicentenary of the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam. Thomson said that spreading the Gospel is the Church’s core mission. He said that bringing non-Christians to Christ is a “Biblical imperative”, while listing personal, church, and mass evangelism.
“Bringing others to God is a Biblical imperative. The biggest mission of the Christian church now is spreading the gospel,” he said. “Gospel means Go and Spel. They are personal evangelism, church evangelism and mass evangelism. Everyone can do personal evangelism. For that there is no need for clergy…” Thomson said, in the presence of then governor and Supreme Court Justice (retired) P Sathasivam.
Back then, Thomson’s speech had received flak from the Hindu community, who accused the Chief Secretary of making “anti-Constitutional” remarks, and demanded his expulsion from government service.
When row erupted over cabinet rank for Jiji Thomson
In February 2016, the Congress-led UDF government appointed Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson as advisor to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, ahead of his retirement.
In fact, the Congress government had unsuccessfully tried to secure a three-month extension for Thomson.
Thomson was given a cabinet rank while former Home Secretary L Radhakrishnan, who was the incumbent advisor to the CM, was not given cabinet rank.
Back then, the Opposition had strongly objected to the Congress government’s manoeuvres to grant a plum position to Jiji Thomson right before his retirement.
Jiji Thomson faced scrutiny for Rs 1 crore renovation of official residence
In August 2016, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau initiated an investigation against former Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson over expenditure of Rs 1.35 crore on renovation of the official residence even as the government sanctioned constructing another facility for him. The complaint was filed by the All-Kerala Government Contractors’ Association. Based on this complaint, the vigilance team inspected the residence.
The honeytrap controversy
Back in 2017, a leaked audio of conversations with sexual undertones, involving former Tehelka editor Mathew Samuel and an associate, triggered claims that Jiji Thomson was honey-trapped and paid Rs 5 crore to suppress it. These conversations were reported to be a part of a sting operation that was conducted by the news portal back in 2015 on Thomson.
Hindu rights group Hanuman Sena had filed a complaint against Jiji Thomson, alleging that the IAS officer was honey-trapped and had to pay up Rs 5 crore after being blackmailed.
BJP hits back
Amid escalating political tensions over Thomson’s claims casting aspersions on Gyanesh Kumar’s credibility, the BJP has highlighted Thomson and Congress’s old bonhomie.
Hello @RahulGandhi
— BJP KERALAM (@BJP4Keralam) September 26, 2026
The man you are waving as proof is Jiji Thomson, MD of Kerala Civil Supplies during the Karunakaran UDF palmolein import, named an accused with Karunakaran himself. CPM called it UDF corruption. Your own UDF later tried to bury the case. Then Chandy made him… https://t.co/f6TkNp2n42
“Hello @RahulGandhi The man you are waving as proof is Jiji Thomson, MD of Kerala Civil Supplies during the Karunakaran UDF palmolein import, named an accused with Karunakaran himself. CPM called it UDF corruption. Your own UDF later tried to bury the case. Then Chandy made him Chief Secretary. A 2016 flight chat you cannot prove. A case file you already tried to withdraw. That is not a whistleblower. That is your old file wearing a new mic.
